A peasant leads his mules through coffee country

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee

Colombia's crackdown on drug gangs and rebel forces has opened up areas previously out of bounds to tourists. Adrian Mourby reports

Icebergs comprise glaciers that have crumbled into the ocean.

Travellers Guide to Antarctica

This remote wilderness is like nowhere else on Earth, which makes a voyage there all the more rewarding, says Simon Calder

A kaleidoscope of colour in Kolkata

Opulent Raj-era monuments and crushing poverty sit side by side in West Bengal's teeming metropolis.

Look to the future: Pudong, the district that will host World Expo, sits in sharp contrast to the old city across the river

City Slicker in Shanghai

This Chinese city will host the World Expo next year. And preparations are well under way. Evelyn Chen offers a guide for new and returning visitors

48 hours in Bermuda

As the Queen arrives to celebrate the island's 400th birthday, Ben Ross prescribes the perfect mid-Atlantic winter break.

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The Big Six
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Escape the crowds
Seven wild island hideaways

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<p><b>Rakshasa, India</b></p>
<p>This Indian vampire can appear as an animal with human features, or a human with animal features. The name translates as the "injurer" which seems wholly appropriate given their fondness for eating the flesh of their victims and drinking their blood. They have the traditional weakness of sunlight though, but if it's a cloudy day, grab a passing exorcist to help you out.</p>

A plethora of fang-bearing films and television shows have hit our screens recently, from The Vampire’s Assistant to the highly acclaimed True Blood, and the latest is New Moon, sequel to the 2008 hit Twilight, released last week.

Glowing for gold: a lamp store in the Spice Bazaar

48 Hours In: Istanbul

Mosques, mansions and markets: Turkey's biggest city has plenty to intrigue the weekend visitor. Twenty years since he first prescribed the perfect 48 hours here, Simon Calder returns

Stay the night: Hotel Le Bleu, Brooklyn

Go over the Brooklyn Bridge for luxury lodgings

Good vibrations: the beach at Boscombe; surfers catch waves made by the new artificial reef

Trail of the unexpected: Surfers set for Dorset

Bournemouth's long-awaited artificial reef has opened for surfers. Ben Mondy tests the water

Walk this way: Jordan's sustainable tourism projects include the Dana Reserve, pictured, and the Al Ayoun trail

On the path of righteousness in Jordan

An eco-tourism initiative has sprung up on the trail followed by Abraham 4,000 years ago. Amar Grover steps out

The Athletic Bilbao team after winning the League and Cup double, on the ship Gabarra del Athletic in the Bilbao waters

Basques of the net: Bilbao's iconic football team

Forget the Guggenheim: it's Bilbao's iconic football team that really stirs the pride of locals, says Will Hawkes

Shore thing: The island's striking coastline

Kangaroo Island: Land of hops and glories

The air is pure, the land is rugged and the native wildlife brings even the most committed urbanite closer to Mother Nature

Travel challenge A new year get-together in England

Every week we invite competing companies to give us their best deal for a specified holiday. Today: a self-catering break over the new year. Prices are for seven nights' rental (commencing 28 December) for properties that sleep at least 10 guests.

On The Road: The East African market where the brands come cheap

I am trying to decide between a Gap shirt and a Guess top. My partner has a carrier bag containing a pair of Adidas trainers and a Versace tie. We're not in a Dubai shopping mall or a Manhattan department store. We're shopping at an open market in Kisumu, a dusty little backwater on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya.